Cushion-heel blank



May 19, 1925. 1,538,036

J. B. HADAWAY CUSHION HEEL BLANK Filed Dec. 18. 1922 amw Patented May 19, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B. HADAWAY, OF SWAMPSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CUSHION-HEEL BLANK.

Application filed December 18, 1922. Serial No. 607,661.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN B. HADAWAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Swampscott, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Cushion-Heel Blanks, of which the following description, in connection with the accom anying drawings, is a specification, like re erence characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to heel blanks and has in view the production of a cushion heel blank which is readily applicable to shoes as produced under ordinary factory conditions, without the necessity of stocking an excessive, and therefore, prohibitivel ex pensive, variety of sizes and shapes 0 such blanks.

According to the present practice great care is taken to produce rubber and like cushion heels molded accurately to the size and shape which it is desired that they shall have in the finished shoe. Under shoe factory conditions, however, it is impracticable, if not impossible to make the heel seat portions of all shoes of a iven size and style absolutely identical. ere is always more or less variation between individual shoes and, therefore, a heel blank which will properly fit one shoe will not exactly fit another. Furthermore, the average shoe factory makes a large variety of shoes, the heel seats of which, many times differ only slightly in size or shape. This condition calls for the maintenance of a large stock of rubber heels, including a reat variet of sizes and shapes which di or but litte from each other.

By the present invention a heel blank is provided which is readily applicable to shoes, the heel seats of which differ materially in size or shape, or both. It thus becomes possible to use one given size of heel blank to meet requirements which heretofore have called for a multiplicity of heels of different sizes and shapes.

This is accomplished by the provision of a cushion heel blank having a resilient tread portion, the size and contour, or shape, of the outer face of which are those desired in the finished shoe, and a body portion of indeterminate size enough larger than the finished tread face to permit said body portion, after attachment to a shoe having a heel seat of any one of a variety of different sizes and contours, to be trimmed to a size and shape determined by the counter portion of the heel end of the shoe and the finished tread face of the heel blank. The breast face of the blank may be molded to the final form which it is to have in the finished shoe, eliminating the necessity for any breasting operation. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the heel blank is a molded rubber unit, the thread portion of which is comparatively soft and resilient, the base portion of the heel body bein harder than the resilient tread portion an constituting an anchorage for attaching nails.

A heel of this form is readily trimmed with heel trimming machines in commercial use, the tread faces of all the heels resulting from the use of a given size and shape of blank being uniform in the finished shoes and the base portions of all the heels fitting er fectly the heel seatsof the respective sl ioes to which they have been applied.

A more complete understanding of the features and advanta es of the invention will be had from reading the following detailed description of one satisfactory embodiment thereof, in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective of a cushion heel blank constructed in accordance with the invention; and

Fi 2 is a cross sectional view of the heel ilank attached to a shoe and partially trimmed, the section beingtaken along the line 2-2.

Referring now to the drawings, the illustrated heel blank has a tread portion 10 the face of which is of exactly the size and shape desired in the finished shoe and a larger body portion 12 which is of the same general shape as the tread portion 10 but of indeterminate size, it only being necessary that it be large enough to provide sufiicient material to be trimmed off to pro duce the desired size and shape in the finished heel.

The heel blank may be produced by the process of vulcanization in a suitable mold and may comprise eithera soft resilient tread portion 10 and a harder base portion 14, as

with the junction plane between the soft portion 10 and th e hard ortion 14, their points passing through t e outer sole 18 and being clinched in the inner sole 20 of the shoe. One advantage of utilizing a hard base portion is that it ay be nailed down very tightly, to the bee seat of the shoe, affording a very secure attachment for the heel.

Corrugated spots 22 or other suitable indications ma be rovided to designate the desired locations or the nails and to obliterate the slight mark which is left after the nails are driven through the rubber.

Referring now to Fig. 2 which shows the heel attached to a shoe and partially trimmed, the solid line at the left represents the final edge face of the trimmed heel, the dotted lines 24 indicating the original, unfinished contour of the blank which, it will be observed, is symmetrical with the solid linesat the right of the figure, showing the portion of the heel which has not yet been reached by the trimming cutter, it being understood that the heel trimming machine is provided with gages against which the counter portion of the shoe and the edge of the heel adjacent to its tread face are guided in making the trimming cut.

The breast face of the heel is indicated generally by the reference numeral 26 and may advantageously be formed to its final surface in the vulcanizing mold in which the heel is manufactured, with the result that no separate breasting operation upon the heel is required after its attachment to a shoe. The surface 28 joining the finished edge of the tread portion 10 and the lateral face of the body ortion 12 is herein shown as sloping but t is is not a matter of importance, inasmuch as this surface will be entirely removed in the operation of finishing the heel.

Havingtdescribed the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is 1. As an article of manufacture, an unattached cushion heel blank having a tread portion of resilient material of a fixed size 'and shape desired in the finished shoe, and

a body portion integral with the tread portion, of intermediate size and shape enough larger than said tread portion to permit the body portion of the heel, after attachment to a shoe of indeterminate size and shape, to be trimmed to a size and shape determined by the heel end of the shoe and said fixed tread portion of the heel blank.

2. An unattached, integral cushion heel blank of molded rubber having a contour at and adjacent to its tread face which is that desired in the finished shoe, and a materially larger body portion, applicable to shoes having heel seats of different sizes and contours, said tread contour and the counter portion of the shoe constituting guides to which the heel body ma be trimmed, after attachment to a shoe, to etermine its final size and contour.

3. An unattached integral cushion heel blank of molded rubber comprising a resilient tread portion having a contour at and adjacent to its tread face which is that desired in the finished shoe, and a materially larger body portion, applicable to shoes having heel seats of different sizesand contours, the base portion of the heel body being harder than the resilient tread portion, said harder base ortion constitutin an anchorage for attac ing nails,.and said tread portion and the counter ortion. of the shoe constituting guides to w ich the heel body may be trimmed, after attachment to a shoe, to determine its final size and contour.

4. As an article of manufacture, an unattached, unfinished cushion heel blank having the entire breast face which it is to have in the finished shoe, a resilient tread portion of the size and contour desired in the finished shoe, and a body portion of indeterminate size and shape enough larger than said tread portion to permit the lateral surface ofsaid body portion, exclusive of the breast face, to be trimmed, after attachment of the heel to a shoe, to a size and shape determined by the counter portion of the shoe and said tread portion of the heel blank.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN B. HADAWAY.

indicated in the drawings, or it may be composed of the same grade of rubber throughout. In any event, the blank will be intogral, or unitary, the soft and hard portions of the heel shown in the drawings being vulcanized together.

A heel such as that illustrated is handled and attached as a unit and may easily be nailed with ordinary commercial heeling machines. As shown, the attaching nails 16 are driven through the soft rubber tread portion 10 until their heads are about flush with the junction plane between the soft portion 10 andthe hard ortion 14, their points passing through tli e outer sole 18 and being clinched in the inner sole 20 of the shoe. One advantage of utilizing a hard base portion is that it 1 ay be nailed down very tightly, to the bee seat of the shoe, affording a very secure attachment for the heel.

Corrugated spots 22 or other suitable indications may be rovided to designate the desired locations or the nails and to obliterate the slight mark which is left after the nails are driven through the rubber.

Referring now to Fig. 2 which shows the heel attached to a shoe and partially trimmed, the solid line at the left represents the final edge face of the trimmed heel, the dotted lines 24 indicating the original, unfinished contour of the blank which, it will be observed, is symmetrical with the solid lines'at the right of the figure, showing the portion of the heel which has not yet been reached by the trimming cutter, it being understood that the heel trimming machine is provided with gages against which the counter portion of the shoe and the edge of the heel adjacent to its tread face are guided in making the trimming cut.

The breast face of the heel is indicated generally by the reference numeral 26 and may advantageously be formed to its final surface in the vulcanizing mold in which the heel is manufactured, with the result that no separate breasting operation upon the hfiel is required after its attachment to a s oe.

The surface 28 joining the finished edge of the tread portion 10 and the lateral face of the body ortion 12 is herein shown as sloping but t is is not a matter of importance, inasmuch as this surface will be entirely removed in the operation of finishing the heel.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is 1. As an article of manufacture, an unattached cushion heel blank having a tread portion of resilient material of a fixed size and shape desired in the finished shoe, and

a body portion integral with the tread portion, of intermediate size and shape enough larger than said tread portion to permit the body portion of the heel, after attachment to a shoe of indeterminate size and shape, to be trimmed to a size and shape determined by the heel end of the shoe and said fixed tread portion of the heel blank.

2. An unattached, integral cushion heel blank of molded rubber having a contour at and adjacent to its tread face which is that desired in the finished shoe, and a materially larger body portion, applicable to shoes having heel seats of different sizes and contours, said tread contour and the counter portion of the shoe constituting guides to which the heel body ma be trimmed, after attachment to a shoe, to etermine its final size and contour.

3. An unattached integral cushion heel blank of molded rubber comprising a resilient tread portion having a contour at and adjacent to its tread face which is that desired in the finished shoe, and a materially larger body portion, applicable to shoes having heel seats of different sizes and contours, the base portion of the heel body being harder than the resilient tread portion, said harder base portion constituting an anchorage for attaching nails, and said tread portion and the counter ortion of the shoe constituting guides to w ich the heel body may be trimmed, after attachment to a shoe, to determine its final size and contour.

4. As an article of manufacture, an unattached, unfinished cushion heel blank having the entire breast face which it is to have in the finished shoe, a resilient tread portion of the size and contour desired in the finished shoe, and a body portion of indeterminate size and shape enough larger than said tread portion to permit the lateral surface of said body portion, exclusive of the breast face, to be trimmed. after attachment of the heel to a shoe, to a size and shape determined by the counter portion of the shoe and said tread portion of the heel blank.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN B. HADAWAY.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent 1570- granted ay 1 1925,

upon the application of John B. Hadaway, an improvement in Cushion-Heel Blanks, errors appear in the printed.

of bwampscott, Massachusetts, for

ecification requirin correction as follows: Page 1, line 66, for the word three read tread pa 0 claim 1, line 65, for the word intermediate read indetemm'mte;

and that t a said Letters Patent should be read with H these ct the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patont fi i ce. therein that Signed and sealed this 27th day of October, A. D. 1925.

KARL FENNING, rlctmp mdsa'amr 0/ Patna.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION It is hereby certified that in mter j Farm; No. 1,538, 36, granted May 19, 1925, upqn the application of Jolm B. Hadawaj 0f ciwam'pscefilt, Massachusetw, f6]? ap lmpmpfement in Cushion-Heel Blanks, errors rip-pear iii the printaL ecifi8- mon requil ing correction as follows: Page 1, line 66, for the word threa read tread; pa e 2, claim 1, line 65', for the word intermediate read indetewnimzte; and that t e said Letters Patent should be read with vthese corrections therein that the game may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 27th day of Oct'ober, A. D. 1925.

[mu] KARL FENNING,

Acting ("mariner 0/ Pat-M4. 

